Impaired erythrocyte deformability and membrane fluidity in alcoholic liver disease: participation in disturbed hepatic microcirculation.

The erythrocyte deformability, membrane fluidity, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), and lipid compositions of erythrocyte membrane were investigated to evaluate the possible role in disturbed hepatic microcirculation in alcoholic liver disease. Erythrocyte deformability was assessed in 37 alcoholic patients and 20 normal subjects. Erythrocyte deformability determined by the filtration method was found to be decreased significantly in alcoholic patients. Erythrocyte membrane fluidity in alcoholic liver disease analysed by fluorescence recovery time after photobleaching was decreased significantly. The decrease of erythrocyte membrane fluidity in alcoholic patients correlated significantly with a decrease of erythrocyte deformability (r = -0.65, P < 0.02). The increased MCV in alcoholic liver disease also correlated with a decrease of erythrocyte deformability significantly (r = 0.652, P < 0.02). The lipid compositions of erythrocyte membrane were abnormal in alcoholic liver disease; the phosphatidylcholine:sphingomyelin ratio was increased (P < 0.001) and unsaturated:saturated fatty acid ratio was decreased (P < 0.01). We conclude that, in alcoholic liver disease, the decreased erythrocyte deformability was closely associated with changes of membrane fluidity and MCV. It was also associated with abnormalities of membrane lipid compositions. It is speculated that these abnormalities of erythrocytes result in further reduction of sinusoidal blood flow in alcoholic liver disease, and consequently disturb metabolic functions of the liver.